compasses that lie?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I've not had that problem, but I have noticed that some of my compasses are more sensitive to large metal objects than others though

[FredKJ]

I usually consider those little button type compasses more as toys and not real reliable navigational compasses.  In an emergency situation when you have to depend on the compass you don't want a toy.  If you want to see a good web site that stocks just about every model from the major manufacturers check out:

www.thecompassstore.com

They have just about every model made by Silva, Suunto, Brunton and K&R.  They have everything from a basic Silva for just over $10 to Brunton transits that run over $500 as well as the military style lensatics.  They also have specialized orienteering compasses that are designed to settle faster and orienteering thumb compasses.